Saturday, August 15, 2015

2009 Honda CR-V Heat Shield Rattle Fix

So, recently our 2009 Honda CR-V with 85k+ miles started making some metallic rattling noise during the drive as well as while idle. During a drive the rattle happens somewhere around 1500 RPM, and it started to get more apparent and louder even when idle.

This was a very easy thing to find, and took just few seconds to peek under the vehicle from the passenger side (of a left hand drive car). The metallic cover which wraps around the catalytic converter was making the rattle. This is a common issue with Hondas where the cover which is made of 2 halves rust off at the bolts and start rattling when they go loose.

Notice the rust at the right bolt and how the shield has come loose 


A proper fix would be to replace the covers. But a low cost DIY solution is to just hold them in place to get rid of the unnecessary rattle (at least until all bolt holes rust off some day).

What you need are;

  • 2 6 inch metal hose clamps (from a hardware store).
  • A flat screwdriver which fits the bolt on the hose clamp.
  • (optionally) a jack and jack stands if you need to lift the car to easily reach underneath and be more comfortable during the job.
Once you have the 2 hose clamps, simply disjoint them, put them around the heat shield at the front and back and tighten up until there is no play at the shield. After you have tightened it up sufficiently, you are done!

It takes just under $5.00 and 10-20 mins of your time to attach!